Tanzania Begins Process of Publicly and Strangely Ostracizing LGBT People
There are many countries in the world where it is illegal by law to be an LGBT person, advocate or supporter.
In some homophobic countries, people can actually be harassed, arrested, imprisoned or killed for offering medical aid, counsel or friendship to LGBT people.
Countries like Russia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Iraq and Afghanistan have moderate to harsh anti-LGBT legislation in force.
Some countries have had anti-LGBT legislation since the days of the colonial era. In fact, these ancient or newer anti-LGBT laws are really used for charging purposes. It is much more practical for corrupt authorities, officials and police to blackmail and harass LGBT people.
Some countries have anti-LGBT laws but generally look the other way in terms of dealing with LGBT people.
It is not like this all over. In some countries like Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, LGBT people hunted, beaten and executed. In those aforementioned countries, it is customary to throw LGBT people off of high rooftops or to hack them to death with machetes.
Until the Orlando, Florida Pulse nightclub mass killings, most Americans would not have believed such an atrocity could be fueled by anti-LGBT hatred.
How bad life can be in reference to LGBT perceptions in everyday life differs from country to country.
Tanzania has been considered rather LGBT tolerant in the recent past in comparison to more virulently anti-LGBT countries like Nigeria and Uganda.
However, as of late Tanzanian Justice Minister Harrison Mwakyembe has sparked a very publicly and bizarrely misguidedly yet powerfully hateful anti-LGBT publicity campaign to, “protect the culture of Tanzanians,” and start a movement to legislatively outlaw LGBT people.
Of all things Mwakyembe wants to ban the sale or use of sexual lubricant in Tanzania to stop the spread of gay sex.
That thought processes and rationalization that prompted such a measure can speak for themselves since it is too self-explanatory to explain.
Mwakyembe also, more sinisterly, wants to track LGBT people online as well as anyone who supports LGBT people online.
LGBT intercourse, referred to as “gay sex,” under Tanzanian law, is a criminal offense that can result in over 30 years of imprisonment.
However, such statutes are rarely used or imposed.
It is much more practical to just harass, beat and blackmail people for money than to imprison them.
In fact, LGBT organizations and advocates in Tanzania are quite afraid that this smoldering of LGBT inspired hate will become an uncontrollable inferno comparable to the legal hate present in neighboring African countries.
There is enough vitriolic and unreasonable anti-LGBT hatred in Africa.
It would really be a shame if Mwakyembe’s hatred is fanned and spread further.
Hate, as a feeling, really is a universal translator, unlike respect.
Humanity has a lot of work to do in that regard.
